Senior Nick Hyzak teamed up with junior Jared Drzal for a win at No. 3 doubles. |
Pronesti and Belfort lead Warriors to perfect NE-10 regular season mark
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (April 12, 2014) – Merrimack College, ranked fifth in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II East Regional rankings and fourth in the first NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, swept all six singles matches after taking two of three doubles contests to claim an 8-1 victory over Stonehill College, ranked ninth in the ITA East rankings, in Northeast-10 Conference men's tennis action at North Andover High School this afternoon.
Senior Chris Barnhart (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) and sophomore Matt Pronesti (Mission Viejo, Calif./South Medford) led four double-winners for Merrimack in the win. The fourth-ranked doubles team in the East Region by the ITA keyed a 2-1 advantage for the Warriors in doubles play with their 8-6 decision at the top flight. Pronesti, ranked 19th in the ITA East singles rankings, followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles against Stonehill senior Nick Hyzak (Guilford, Conn./Guilford), while Barnhart, ranked 20th in the region, added a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles against sophomore Philip Klados (Lake Forest, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic).
Sophomore Miguel Belfort (Caracas, Venezuela) and junior Vince Bellino (Amesbury, Mass./Andover) teamed up for an 8-2 victory at No. 2 doubles for Merrimack. Belfort, ranked 16th in the region, added a 7-6, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles against junior Eric Ringstad (Fairbanks, Alaska/Monroe Catholic), while Bellino defeated junior Tom Alaimo (North Andover, Mass./Central Catholic) 7-5, 6-2 at No. 4 singles. Freshmen James Barnhart (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) and Nick Majewski (Brewster, Mass./Nauset Regional) rounded out the Warriors winners with victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively.
Hyzak and junior Jared Drzal (West Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) combined to collect the lone point for Stonehill in the match with their 9-8 triumph at No. 3 doubles against James Barnhart and Majewski.
Stonehill (11-8, 6-4 NE-10) closes out the regular season on Monday when it visits Eastern Nazarene College for a non-conference matchup at 4 p.m. The Skyhawks will open the NE-10 Tournament on Tuesday, April 22, with a first round matchup at an opponent to be determined based on the final results of the Conference season. Merrimack (12-7, 10-0 NE-10) is off until the semifinal round of the NE-10 Tournament on Thursday, April 24.
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Merrimack 8, Stonehill 1
Singles
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1. Matt Pronesti (MER) def. Nick Hyzak (STO) 6-2, 6-2 |
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2. Miguel Belfort (MER) def. Eric Ringstad (STO) 7-6, 6-2 |
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3. Chris Barnhart (MER) def. Philip Klados (STO) 6-4, 6-1 |
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4. Vince Bellino (MER) def. Tom Alaimo (STO) 7-5, 6-2 |
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5. James Barnhart (MER) def. Brett Armstrong (STO) 6-4, 6-2 |
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6. Nick Majewski (MER) def. Jared Drzal (STO) 6-4, 1-6, 10-6 |
Doubles
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1. Pronesti/C. Barnhart (MER) def. Ringstad/Armstrong (STO) 8-6 |
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2. Belfort/Bellino (MER) def. Alaimo/Jon Sanders (STO) 8-2 |
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3. Hyzak/Drzal (STO) def. J. Barnhart/Majewski (MER) 9-8 |
